Pedigree
by Le Alias
Summary: "I've been informed by our contacts from the outside world, that Truth, in it's infinite mercy, had bestowed a blessing upon us… and now we have in our hands, an Adam and Eve." —ELRICEST with a Fem!Ed— Hardcore and Mature content. More warnings inside. Unbeta'd story.
1. Chapter 1

This is a short, unbeta'd story I'm trying to finish by Halloween Day. It starts after the Promised Day then goes into canon divergence. It is mainly narrated by an OC's POV.

**Overall Warnings:** This story is a hard M for rape/non-con, torture, abuse of minors, violence, death, gore, incest and gender swap. Potential trigger elements!

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**1**

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I yawn as I walk down the artificially lit hallway, with cup in hand, my feet take me to the conference room for an emergency staff meeting. It's not like I'm an important part of the team, so I arrive a couple of minutes late and scoot in between Barry and Donovan.

"Hi fellas! Did I miss something important?"

"Same old boring stuff about productivity." Barry deadpans.

"Well… the director just like the sound of his voice." Donovan decides to contribute.

He looks around before getting closer to me.

"I've heard that two descendants of the Golden Tribe have been acquired and are on their way to the laboratory as we speak."

I roll my eyes, Donovan's gossip is just that, gossip.

The director of the facility was now stacking the paper on the podium then mindlessly readjusts his golden frames.

"Now I'm going to speak about the main purpose of this meeting." The director says into the microphone and all in the room quieted.

"As you are all aware, Father has been taken down…" The man looks at all the worried faces in the room, "…And so has our fearless leader, but all is not grim my fellow colleagues, I have been assured by our sponsors that this laboratory will remain operational."

A small commotion floods the room.

"Calm down!"

The director waited until everybody settled down to in order to continue.

"We are going to continue with the chimera programs, and we're also going to continue with the production of red water."

I notice how he grasps the podium.

"But I have an announcement to make…" Once again, he looks intently at all of us, "We have been graced with a new project… the task of rekindling the lost ancient civilization of Xerxes."

Donovan elbows me as he whispers an annoying "told you so".

"How are we going to do that?" Spoke a person on the opposite side of the room that I couldn't see from where I am standing.

The director seems pleased with whoever asked the question.

"This evening we're going to receive two special guests who I've been told are direct descendants of the Golden Sage."

Another wave of commotion rocks the room.

"Quiet!" This time the director yelled.

He cleared his throat as he composes himself.

"As I was saying, we will be welcoming Edward and Alphonse Elric into our nucleus, and from these two, we will create the new progeny that in due time will deliver us the perfect golden being."

"But both potential test subjects are male."

The same obnoxious voice decided to state the obvious, however the director once again seems rather pleased with the asinine question.

"I've been informed by our contacts from the outside world, that Truth, in it's infinite mercy, had bestowed a blessing upon us… and now we have in our hands, an Adam and Eve."

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**Thank you for reading.**


	2. Chapter 2

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**2**

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The black telephone rings and I just keep staring at it, scowling, even. Looking at my watch, I confirm that is 6:00 AM. Hesitancy crosses my mind before I pick up the receiver.

"Please assist Test Subject E."

The line goes dead.

I rub my temples and a small sigh escapes, unannounced. Slowly I stand up, and after verifying that the cart has all needed items, then I wheel it down the cold hallway. I make sure that I look as apathetic as I feel before I enter the examination room. I swallow deeply because I don't know in what kind of state I will find the subject this time around. I shake my head and chastise my wavering will. It's not like I'm new at this job, in fact its been four long years since I've been assisting the researchers on their human experimentation projects, but there was something about Test Subject E that keeps tugging at my emotions, and it isn't the fact that 'she' used to be a 'he'.

"There you are." Johnson called me over.

I leave the cart by the door and stand next to the man. Johnson was scribbling something on a writing pad so my eyes quickly set upon Test Subject E. A small sigh of relief escapes between my lips, because at least this time around, the researcher in charge kept her decent. She's looking away, but I can still see the dry tear tracks running down the side of her face, I can't help but to feel sympathy for the teen. It has been already six months since she and her brother were brought to this little piece of insanity.

"I've performed a vaginal exam on the test subject and took some tissue samples which all need to be tested today." Johnson said, capturing my attention.

"There's also an urine sample that needs to be analyzed for levels of LH." He kept droning without taking his eyes from the writing pad, "Everything sits on the tray over there, please drop them over at Sector 7 once you finish cleaning the subject."

He finally looked at me with his cold, unperturbed eyes. "That is all."

Johnson took his personal belongings, along with the writing pad, and headed for the door.

Once the door is shut, I set my eyes again on the blonde girl who was tightly secured to the gynecology chair. She's still facing the other way, but once she hears the researcher walking away, she glances at me acknowledging my presence

"Please get me off this chair." She says without making any further eye contact.

"First I have to clean you." I proceed to pull back the blanket that was covering her lower half when sorrowful golden eyes stared directly into my soul.

"Please… let me do it myself." She pleaded with the most chagrined expression and I hesitate.

"I promise I won't cause any trouble."

Her distress was palpable.

"Ok, but don't try anything funny."

She snorted.

"As if I'll get far…" Her voice trailed off.

Such defeated words made me wonder if she was finally becoming "conditioned" in her captivity. From an underground array that seals all types of alchemy to high-end locking mechanisms, maybe she finally accepted —like all of us have accepted in the long run— that escape from this facility is impossible. I unbuckle her wrist restraints and she reflexively pushed me away, and took care of the rest of the restraints all by herself. She was sporting that quiet anger of a person who has been forced into submission. She extends an arm my way, waiting for me to hand her the new set of hospital clothes.

"Will you turn around already!" She hissed while she unconsciously fisted the paper gown she was currently wearing.

I immediately turn around, feeling quite uncomfortable by the teen's hostility.

"How's Al?" She asked while tossing the paper gown next to my feet.

Of course she was going to ask about her little brother, after all, I also attend the younger teen.

"He's doing fine."

I hear her putting on the fresh set of clothes —and since I don't sense any shenanigans coming from her— I continue talking.

"His physical therapy is going well and he's getting stronger by the day."

Test Subject E steps into view. I can tell by the worried look in her face that she's hesitating to ask me something important.

"Are the… are the bastards prodding Al like they do to me?"

The faintest trace of a quivering lip almost escapes unnoticed, and my eyebrows furrow.

I can understand her concern, after all, she's constantly being forced to sustain invasive procedures that as a former male, she can't clearly comprehend. My heart saddens as an image of my daughter comes into my mind.

"No, Ed." I answer with fondness.

Golden orbs beamed upon hearing her name and any remnants of hostility, crumble.

"Please help us get out of here…"

She requests from me every time I visit her.

"I can't."

Is what I reply to her each and every time… and each and every time, the vividness in her golden eyes dulls just a bit more.

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**Thank you for reading.**


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you **AllINoIsImNotAwesome** for giving this story a try when others just criticize without sharing any real feedback.

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**3**

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I become instantly worried the minute I hear I was needed to assist Test Subject A. As I turn around, my eyes encounter the calendar, and almost immediately, a thought comes to mind. It has been one year to date since both siblings arrived at this laboratory… a mirthless laugh echoes in the office after the such realization.

So much has changed within me in last twelve months and the fault falls on the siblings themselves. I'm probably the only staff member that still treats them like human beings since the others at this point just see them as potential pedigree material.

Being in charge of their well-being has been both a blessing and a curse because they have gotten under my skin. A parental attachment has developed inside me since I've been privy to their "evolution". Test Subject E or Ed, as I prefer to call her, has gradually become accustomed to her female body, just a shell of her former male self still lingers within her, which from time to time decides to come out and piss everybody around her.

Test Subject A is another different matter. At this point, the boy's body has completely rehabilitated and has become a quite strong young man. Some of the more amicable scientists within the facility have confided to me that the young man has acquired the spunk that the older sibling used to naturally exude… but I wonder if it is because he's been sheltered so far from the type of examinations that the older sibling has been exposed since day one.

As I approach the examination room I noticed an odd silence when there should be a vivid conversation. Usually Test Subject A's examinations consist of simple routine checks of his vitals, but this stillness in the air… it unnerves me. I push the cart through the door and my stomach lurches at the scene that was in front of me. It's like I'm looking at a similar setting but with the boy instead of the girl. The bound teen, like his older sibling, is looking away but I can tell how infuriated he is by how his neck is corded under his clenched jaw. My heart aches when I see a long rod with a vibrating tip and a cup filled with a whitish substance sitting on a tray near the examination table.

"Please take care of the subject." Wheeler curtly said to me as he closes the medical chart.

He takes his reading glasses off and tucked them inside a pocket in his lab coat. "Run the semen sample by Sector 7 once you finish tending to him."

He glares at the teen with contempt before stepping away from the room.

The slamming of the door makes me jump a little.

"Are you ok?" I ask with extreme concern as I approach the boy.

One quick look tells me he's not ok, and I shake my head at my own stupidity.

"I want to see my brother." He says dryly.

Brother? Ah yes, I keep forgetting that the top-secret files state that the younger sibling was found unconscious after Father's death. I still wonder myself why the higher-ups kept the siblings separated after the fateful event last Spring. I find it incredibly cruel that he doesn't know about his "older brother's" new female body.

"I can't take—"

"Bullshit! Why can't I see him?"

I can see the small glimmer of tears in the verge of rolling down the teen's eyes.

"I can assure you that he's safe, son—"

"I'm not your son!" He snarled.

I sucked in some air, steadying my nerves since I know very well where his tantrum is heading. There's a good probability that he will try to pull an escape stunt like his older sibling did at the beginning of their forced captivity.

"Alphonse, please stop it. Edward _is_ safe and he's doing just fine. You just can't see him yet."

Out of nowhere, teen blinked in astonishment, the shock of being forcibly ejaculated must have made him forget that he was still bound to the chair.

"Get me out of this chair!" He screeched in frantic desperation.

I carefully unbuckle the wrist restraints, and like his older sibling, he pushes me away and takes care of the rest; but unlike his sibling, he stays on the chair with feet dangling in front of him. A distraught look meets my eyes.

"What do you people want with us?"

The teen tried to hide the trembling in his voice but I'm just too used to the subtle signs of abuse.

"Did he hurt you?" I asked without thinking it through.

His eyes glaze and quickly looks away in shame.

"Do they do this to Brother?" He said after a long pause.

I can't answer his question and he snorts at me in disdain.

The boy stands up and winces, and I couldn't help to feel sorry for him.

He scowls at me and slowly walks over to where the cart is and takes from it a new set of hospital-issued clothes. I turn around before the teen has a chance to scream to me to look away.

"I'm done." He says in a apathetic tone.

I turn around and find him staring at the cold floor, but he raises his olive eyes at me before I had a chance to take a step forward.

"Tell me how to escape." He demands, "Alchemy doesn't work so tell me how I can reach Brother, so we can escape this hellhole together."

My face hardens.

"No one has been able to escape this place, son."

He sends me another nasty look when he hears the word "son".

"Has Brother, tried to escape?"

It was a question I wasn't expecting from him.

"Yes, many times actually."

At least I can be truthful to him about this.

The boy frowns and unconsciously bites his lower lip, becoming rather pensive.

"Alphonse, please don't try anything stupid."

I warn him but he chooses to ignore me altogether as he launches forward and tackles me to the ground.

"I'm sorry, mister!" He says to me before knocking me unconscious.

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**Thank you for reading.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Warning:** This chapter contains some descriptions of torture and mind control techniques used in Project Monarch, so there's a possibility of triggering when reading this chapter. Don't read this chapter if the name Project Monarch rings a bell or if you're sensitive to rape/non-con.

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**4**

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I've heard stories about the director's "special" punishments, but as always, I pinned the telltales to just mere gossip… boy, I was dead wrong.

The day after the insurgence of Test Subject A, I was called to the director's office. The man looked at me with such impassiveness that it made me uneasy, but it was quickly replaced by dread, once the man spoke.

The type of facility I am working under, is considered top-secret, and all its employees have been given "the good conduct spiel" at one point or another. The spiel dictated that if you behave inappropriately, your loved ones would be the ones suffering the consequences. Stories about family members being taken and ending as test subjects for gruesome experiments, was enough to keep me in line… that was until the Elric's entered into my life.

My heart almost gave out when the director said that my loved ones were not going to suffer due to my negligence in the handling of the Elric siblings, however, he punctuated that I still needed to be punished. I was surprised that he let me continue with the care of the siblings, in fact, he said that I was going to be promoted. He told me that since I've been so concerned for the subjects, that I was going to have an important job to perform during the next phase of the Elric's modification. Apparently his decision came to mind when my irresponsibility in the handling of Test Subject A gave the team the opportunity to test the overall endurance of the boy. The director insisted in telling me all the details about what happened after Al knocked the lights out of me. He said that the kid put on a phenomenal fight but alas, without proper alchemy, he was quickly taken down by the chimera guards once the emergency doors made him run into a dead end.

I quickly found out that as a research assistant, I was responsible in the retrieval and escort of the test subjects, to the new experiment rooms. I was also responsible to assist the researchers-in-charge with whatever they needed, be it strapping the subject to a device, attaching equipment on the subject or maintaining the functionality of said equipment. The remaining of my duties were the same as before, including escorting the subjects back to their cells after each session. I knew that there was something nefarious behind these new set of orders, but I couldn't even begin to grasp the degree of cruelty —that for the sake of my family— I was going to assist.

These last three months have been hellish torture for me, but specially for the siblings. I'm almost sure that I've lost a part of my humanity along the way, but the siblings have lost the entirety of it.

Both siblings had been subjected to intense behavioral modification with the aid of mind and body altering drugs. This modification was coupled with sexual stimulation, be it by electrical or vibrational stimuli, to the sensitive nerve endings of their corresponding anatomical parts. In each session I have to strap a frantic boy or girl to the machines, on which they are to remain bound for hours. My bile rises every time I have to hook them to these infernal machines, since once connected, they don't get release from constant sexual stimulation. I only get unhook them once they pass out from overstimulation.

I shudder every time I'm forced to flip the movie projector on, so the siblings can also watch a constant loop of pornographic films while they're being subjected to the programming. These movies are catered to the desired result for each sibling. Test Subject E watches women being forcefully subjected into submission while Test Subject A watches men assaulting helpless women. I wish I could deafen the agonizing screams that come out of their writhing bodies as their sanity is slowly being ripped away from their being.

I've found that the sexualization of the siblings have a few variances. Test Subject E's modification also includes heavy hormonal stimulation because her body hasn't produced eggs yet. Test Subject A's modification includes heavy use of aphrodisiacs because, as the researchers constantly point out to me, these drugs are needed since the boy is not going to fuck his sister on his own accord. I've even witnessed when the researchers unleash the drug-crazed youth on some unsuspecting subjects, so he could efficiently "practice" on the young women what he will do to Test Subject E on their "Wedding Day". I still cringe every time I hear those two words together.

Today I was summoned to be at the observation room for an unscheduled staff meeting. I had a bad hunch about the rendezvous, and my fears became a crude reality, once I overheard some of the men who were already inside the room, betting on the outcome of the "wedding". So today the nightmare, this "Wedding Day", becomes true. I've should've realized that I was purposely being kept out of the loop, since it was obviously a part of my punishment for caring too much about the sibling's welfare in the first place.

It was my first time inside the famed observation room and I immediately notice that the room is divided in sections. We sit in front of a two-way mirror where we observe the people who are on the other side of the glass. The small room is divided by a wall and I see that Barry is holding Test Subject A inside the left compartment while the right side compartment still remains empty. Wheeler enters the left compartment and injects the feisty boy with something then pats the side of his face, like he was a lowly animal, before exiting the room. Right before my eyes, the young man transforms from a normal human being into a crazed beast. Barry yells out loud that's he's losing the grip on the boy, so Donovan drags Test Subject E and pushes her inside the right compartment, then closes the door on her. She frantically looks around, immediately recognizing that the glass is in fact a two-way mirror, her golden eyes become frightened as her breathing becomes shallow. The director who has been calmly standing by a red button, sadistically smiles, and pushes on said button.

The wall dividing the two compartments raises and the siblings see each other for the first time after more than a year of captivity.

"Alphonse!" Ed cries out when she sets her eyes on her adored younger brother.

She takes a step forward to run to his side, but quickly senses that there's something wrong with her brother. She looks at his olive eyes with confusion and frowns when she discovers the crazed look in his dilated eyes. Worriedly, her eyes quickly scan the rest of his body only to gasp in horror when she sees the tight bulge stretching around the crotch of his hospital-issued clothes. She shakes her head in desperation when she realizes what will happen next.

"Al… please don't…" She pleads as hot tears fall from her beautiful eyes.

Like a feral animal, the boy cocks his head from side to side, then launches at her, knocking her to the ground.

"Alphonse no!" She screeches as she writhes under him but her own programming triggers once the boy begin to rip her clothes. Immediately she becomes submissive, as she was trained to do so, and only reacts when her younger brother forcibly pushes into her and punches through her intact hymen.

I can't look away, and even if I wanted to, I couldn't block out the sickly mixture of pained screams and animalistic grunts coming off the siblings.

I want to stand up, I want to break into the room and separate the two siblings, I want to help them escape, I want to… but I won't. I won't because, in the end, I'm a selfish coward.

As I remain behind to take care of the siblings, I overhear some of the men saying that the test subjects deserved exactly what the got, because they were sinners, because they committed the ultimate taboo…

But what about us? I wanted to ask. Aren't we sinners too? Didn't we torture and corrupted two young souls? Aren't we playing god too?

"Im sorry…"

It was faint, but the lamenting came from the boy.

I approach the now foggy mirror, I see Ed. Her red-rimmed eyes were staring blankly at the ceiling, and one of her hands was mindlessly caressing Al's hair. The teen had buried his face on top of her bent legs.

"I'm so sorry Ed…"

I heard again the lamenting wail of the younger sibling which only meant that the effects of the drug have already worn off… and he has realized who he was with and what he has done to her.

"Please forgive me, please forgive me…" He keeps chanting between anguished sobs and my heart breaks.

I press my forehead onto the cold glass and shut my eyes close.

"Please forgive me…"

I join the boy's chant as I too lament the wrong that I've done.

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**Thank you for reading.**


	5. Chapter 5

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**5**

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After putting everything needed on the cart to serve them their breakfast, and as I push the elevator button to take me down to B4, I think back at that nightmarish event that happened seven months ago.

I had fallen into a deep depression after the "Wedding Day". Four days after the rape, I was called to the director's office because I've been a No Call, No Show for three consecutive days. I knew I was in deep trouble —but I just didn't care anymore— and after a few minutes with the man, I had found out that the director sympathized with my feelings. I wanted to strangle the bastard right there for mocking me, but director sensed my rising anger, and quickly reiterated that sacrificing their innocence was needed for the greater good. I listened in utter disbelief how he tried to sell me again the story about living legends walking beside us in the near future… that I was going to become part of such grandiose legacy and so on. I had to control the sudden urge to throw up, but as I did, something clicked inside my head. I looked at the director with pity as I finally came to realize that the man was insane… all involved in the experiment were.

I had wanted out. I had wanted out and to never look back but then I thought about sibling's fate and I ended biting my tongue. I had closed my eyes, cursing the day I felt compassion for the crying blonde girl since that was the day I sealed my current fate.

Something that the director said, had snapped me from my thoughts. He had said to me that the sibling's behavioral programming had been a success and that no further modification was necessary. I had felt relief right then because they were not going to get tortured as they've been for the past few months. However my initial elation had vanished into thin air when the man said that during my absence, the siblings have been moved to the final phase of the depraved experiment. Now I was to tend to both siblings, who have been moved together into a new cell. I was going to become their full time caregiver and that meant I was going to be temporarily away from my family until an offspring was produced from the siblings. I was to tend to their every need in a "homey" environment and would only take them out of their "gilded cage" when one of them was needed for a routine checkup.

I put back the empty plates on the cart after the pair finished their breakfast with voracious appetite. I set my eyes on them when I hear Ed giggling. I find that her brother was playing with her long hair, but they stop what they were doing after they notice me staring. After the "Wedding Day" and up to this day, they haven't spoke a single word to me or to anybody in the facility for that matter. They only speak and interact with each other, using gestures or speaking in low voices.

Contrary to what I thought would happen between them —after the brother raped the sister— they didn't reject each other but actually formed a strong bond with each other. I've been told that such incredible bond was years in the making, starting with their traumatic human transmutation failure and and ending with their even more traumatic mind and body programming.

Subsequent copulation sessions had been drug-induced, with each following their corresponding programming, but a breakthrough happened a month after the "Wedding Day" when the night cameras caught them having intercourse on their own accord. Soon after no more forced sessions were needed and the siblings were left to their own devices.

I still wonder what changed between them for them to agree on continuing with what had been forced on them in the first place. Did they seek solace when they're tossing under the sheets? Is this another part of their programming that I didn't catch on? Did they actually developed feelings for each other that went beyond their blood ties? I wish I knew the answer, but it looks like it is a secret that Ed and Al will take to their graves.

I push the cart out in the hall and close the cell, then I make my way back to the elevator. As I ride back up to B2, I think that in a few more months I'll be able to see my family once again. The elevator door opens, and as I push the cart through the hallway, I hear what I think is a small explosion accompanied by a small tremor. I push the cart slowly as I hear more noises that I think are coming from B1 when suddenly the sprinkler system goes off and the alarm system begin to sound. In a rush of panic, I look around me and I see researchers and other attendants running. I let go of the cart and run over to the nearest fire escape when out of my peripheral vision I see a ball of fire making its way down the main hallway. My heart begins to race when I hear the agonizing screams of a person who had been caught in the blaze. As I near the stair case, I hear the sound of rifles going off. We're under attack! But who? I don't stay out to find out.

I frantically skip down the stairs and exit into B4. As I close the door behind me, I hear the sounds of a person heading down. All I can think of is about hiding in my room when a bullet goes past me.

Somehow I make it to my room and manage to lock the door. There's a kick to the door, followed by the person behind the door shooting at the lock. Another kick to the door, and it slams open. A blonde woman steps into the room and points her gun at me.

"Where are the Elric's?"

The terrifying look in her cinnamon eyes, made me stutter.

She cocked her gun and level it to my forehead. Her face steels as the thump my ears deafened everything surrounding me. A joyful image of my daughter pass through my mind as a sudden jolt courses through my body and a blinding white light engulfs me.

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"Riza!"

I turn around when I hear Havoc calling me. He's standing by the door and says that we should keep moving along. I look back at the man whose life I just terminated, then turn around and follow the Second-Lieutenant down the hall. We reach an area that has another alchemical seal, so I press the talk button on my head piece.

"Golden Hawk to Black Raven. Do you copy me Black Raven?"

"Black Raven here. What's the current situation? Over."

"We might have found the Bird's Nest on B4. Over."

A few seconds passed before the Colonel's voice crackled through the communication device.

"I'm on my way."

Ten minutes pass by before the Colonel reaches us.

"This is the door?" The Colonel asks as he clasps his hands together.

"Yes, Sir."

Havoc and I step back as the Colonel places his hands on the seal, breaking it with a transmutation of his own. He pushes the door open and we head down the long hallway then we see a lighted cell at the end.

When we reach the cell we immediately see a boy with short hair that resembles Alphonse behind the bars and a sight of relief crosses our minds.

"Alphonse…" The Colonel says as he approaches the cell, but the boy doesn't answer him.

We all see that's he's staring at us with a feral look as if he doesn't recognizes us.

"Alphonse, it's me Roy Mustang." He looks at me, "And this is Riza and this is Jean. Don't you remember us?"

Alphonse looks at us with a pained look as tears well up on his olive eyes. He nods, acknowledging that he recognizes us before a loud sob escapes from his clenched mouth.

"Where's Ed?" The Colonel asks him but he doesn't answer.

However he walks over to where a couch is located and goes behind it. He lifts up by the hand the female teen that is now Edward Elric. I see the faintest look of shock coming from the Colonel's ebony eyes since this is the first time he laid eyes on Ed's new body. He never had a chance to do so since he was still blind when the siblings were taken from the hospital ward more than two years ago.

Havoc gasps, as he too hadn't seen Ed in female form. He was undergoing physical rehabilitation when the incident happened.

We see that Ed is sporting a rather chagrined expression when she sets her golden eyes upon us. She looks at her brother and whispers something to him, to which he nods. The boy takes her hand and both step around the couch.

Our eyes widen in horror when we see the siblings in full view. I inadvertly cover my mouth in disbelief as I look at the scene unfolding in front of us.

I momentarily look to my side and see a profound guilt written all over the Colonel's face. When I look back at the siblings, I see that Ed is now holding Al's hand tightly.

"Fucking bastards…"

Havoc's angry words, state what we all were thinking as we stare at Ed's swollen belly.

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**Thank you for reading.**


	6. Chapter 6

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**6**

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I lift my eyes from the files I am currently browsing through when I hear the door burst open.

"We caught the rat!" Havoc says as he pushes the director inside his office.

Anger immediately boils my blood and I glare at him. So this pathetic excuse of a man is the reason why Fullmetal and his brother are so broken? What kind of nightmare did this man and his team put the siblings through that left them practically mute?

"Who got the girl pregnant?"

My stomach slightly turns when the question escapes my lips. It's so surreal to be speaking about Fullmetal in that type of context.

"T-the brother, Sir." He answers, his trembling voice denotes the true coward that he is.

I close my eyes as my breath shudders. I suspected as much, but confirming it, only makes my failure to protect them so much harder to withstand.

"Liar!" I slam my fist on the desk as I stand up, "That boy adores his older brother and I'm positive he wouldn't dare touch a single hair on his head now that he's a female!"

The director stutters at the sound of my thundering voice, but eventually he manages to become somewhat coherent.

"They're are descendants of the Golden Sage!" The man screeched as he went on a frenetic rant.

"Truth sought to correct the aberration those two little sinners perpetrated against him by returning them as Adam and Eve! Can't you see 'the grand plan'? They were appointed to me so I could make them pure again, through the birthing of the new golden people—!"

"Enough!"

I just couldn't stand this lunatic's idiocy anymore.

"Here's what I understand so far. You and your people, besides conducting horrific genetic experiments while running a highly illegal red water operation, decided to kidnap two of the key people responsible in saving the entire country from oblivion, so you could force them to breed with each in order to produce an offspring that's genetically closer to the people of Xerxes?"

The man looks at me, wide-eyed, and nods. "You do understand 'the grand plan'—"

"I understand that you're a lunatic that corrupted and forced two minors into committing incest!"

I pinch the bridge of my nose and exhale forcibly, fruitlessly keeping my migraine on check.

"How?" I ask harshly.

The director looks at me with confusion.

"I don't understand the question."

His asinine answer makes me lose control. I go around the desk and I snap my gloved hand, surrounding the bastard in a contained fire ball of low intensity so only the exposed skin suffers third-degree burns.

The man writhes in pain on the linoleum floor.

"Those two kids don't even want to come out of their cage! Now again, what kind of hell did you and your men put them through to, for them to be at the sorry state they're currently in!"

The man was trembling on the floor.

"W-we—" He broke into sobs.

I snap my finger again and mercilessly engulf him in another fire ball. An agonizing wail echoes as the smell of burnt flesh invades the room. I see Havoc looking away, trying to breathe a cleaner air. I don't blame him, after all the sight and smell of a burnt person is hard to stomach, but not to me. For once, I'm actually enjoying the suffering I'm causing to this piece of shit.

"Psychotropic drugs and body re-conditioning!" The man blurted out between pained screams.

I scowl.

During the Ishvalan War, I heard horror stories about Ishvalan prisoners of war undergoing torturous mind-control sessions in order to extract what was needed from them. My blood ices when I think of all the possible nightmarish scenarios that the Elric's must have been subjected to in order to make them engage in sexual intercourse.

I steady my breath again as I press on the talk button on my head piece.

"Golden Hawk, did you manage to put the Pair at ease in their Bird's Nest? Over."

"Yes, Sir."

I close my eyes momentarily, hating the fact that we had to drug the siblings with sleeping pills in order to take them out of the cell.

"Very well. I'll have Golden Eagle here come over and help you carry them to the Safe Zone. Over."

Havoc silently turns on his heel and leaves for B4, since he has been standing near me all this time, listening into the conversation.

I press the talk button again.

"Black Raven to Red Robin, do you copy, Red Robin?

"Red Robin here, Black Raven."

"Are the explosives set in place? Over."

"Affirmative."

"Are the chimeras and the researchers been disposed of? Over."

"Affirmative."

"Golden Hawk and Golden Eagle are heading to the Safe Zone with the Pair as we speak. Please have the wires ready in half hour. Over."

"Affirmative."

I turn my device off now that Breda has been given the directive to activate the explosives placed throughout the facility. I approach the director who at this point is mindlessly moaning on the floor.

"In about half hour this place will explode and all the horrors that have happened here will be buried along with it."

I stand next to the director as I prepare to end the his life.

"Before I send you to hell, I will let you know something about Truth."

I readjust my white ignition gloves.

"Truth is not fair when dealing with us humans, and it sure isn't merciful. I know this because I once was forced to stand in front of it to receive its unreasonable judgement. What you and your team did to the Elric's was not acting upon Truth's will, you acted on your selfish accord. You subjected the siblings to a sadistic experiment because you are one of those type of humans who think they are god… like Truth itself."

As I finish my words, I stare down at him with utter disdain as I snap my gloved fingers one last time.

•

I open the door and become rather surprised by sight of the man standing in front of me.

"This is a most unwelcome surprise… now what type of misfortune do you wish to inform to me and my granddaughter?"

Colonel Roy Mustang's shoulders tense slightly at the cold reception.

"I understand your animosity towards me Dr. Rockbell, but for once I bring you some good news."

What the Colonel said has me intrigued.

"Well, come on in…"

I walk him to the living room where he takes sit on the large couch while I seat on the recliner.

"We've found the Elric's—"

My eyes widen and my old heart skips a beat. As I recover from the initial shock, I ask a sensible question.

"Are the boys alive?"

The man slouches forward and presses his folded arms onto his thighs before answering.

"Ed and Al are alive—"

"Oh thank goodness!"

My eyesight blurs from cheer happiness.

"When can we see the boys?" I ask immediately after wiping the happy tears with my apron, but as I put my glasses back on, I notice that the man has a dejected look all over his face.

"They're currently at an undisclosed location."

I frown upon hearing those words.

"Did something bad happened to them?"

His lips pursed briefly before answering my question.

"Both siblings underwent a great amount of trauma after being kidnaped from the hospital a month after the Promised Day…" He gives me a sour look, "Let's just say they are not the boys they used to be."

We arrive at East City train station after the Colonel visited us three days ago. I see the young female officer, who visited us in Risembool almost a decade ago, cut through the crowd.

"Welcome to East City." She says when she reaches me.

"Thank you, Lieutenant…"

"You can call me Riza if you like." She answers in a pleasant tone.

"Shall we go?" She adds.

"I'm waiting for my granddaughter to grab our tool bags since most likely Ed needs a good automail tune up."

I immediately see the woman blanch upon hearing my comment. Her reaction makes me even more worried than I already am. As I see my granddaughter coming over our way, I begin to feel doubts about bringing her with me to see the boys…

"Hi Riza!"

I closely observe how Winry's extreme cheerfulness is making the Lieutenant uncomfortable. I hold on tight to my luggage case, feeling some apprehension about the long awaited reunion.

I didn't expect a car ride to the outskirts of East City nor I expected to visit a ranch. On our way to this place, Miss Riza explained to us that the siblings had been found two months ago and were staying at the ranch while they were being treated by a doctor. I immediately notice how my granddaughter becomes solemnly quiet.

As we arrive at the ranch, we notice that the place is bigger than we expected.

Apparently the Colonel had been outside waiting for us to arrive. He helps with the luggage and his expression darkens when Winry stands beside him. He escorts us inside and takes us to the living room.

A man is sitting already at one of the chairs and I deduce that he's the doctor responsible for taking care of the brothers.

"Good afternoon, ladies. I hope the trip wasn't too much of a bother as we're located quite away from the big city." The doctor says as he stands up and shakes our hands.

I clear my throat and immediately cut through the chase.

"When can we see Ed and Al? And why all this secrecy surrounding them?"

The Colonel looks at me then at Winry.

"Do you really want your granddaughter hearing this?" He asks again with profound concern.

"We've seen the boys at their worst, Colonel, all bloody and lost when they tried to bring their mother back. We've heard Ed's blood-curdling cries after we fitted him with automail and we've also heard Al's sorrowful cries about his confinement to a cold metal container. So yes, I think we're prepared for anything that awaits us regarding the boys."

The Colonel sighed in defeat but respected my words, then he looked at us with such coldness that it made me slightly uneasy.

"Very well, Dr. Rockbell. I will tell you what happened to Edward and Alphonse Elric after their disappearance from Central Hospital more than two years ago. Then the doctor here will explain the type of rehabilitation treatment he has given to the siblings, who are survivors of a severe and traumatic human experiment."

I heard Winry's disconcerted gasp and I held her hand tight.

•

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**Thank you for reading.**


	7. Chapter 7

One chapter to go!

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**7**

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I take my glasses off and absently wipe the tears at the corners of my eyes. I frown as I think how Hoenheim and Trisha must be turning on their graves. I also try to keep my composure for my granddaughter's sake but it is becoming rather hard to keep a strong front when my insides have become so cold. I look at Winry and wonder what it's going through her head. A greenish pallor shows all over her face so I can safely assume she is feeling similar to what I am feeling.

It was shocking to find out what had happened to the boys after we saw them last. It was heart wrenching to hear that Ed had sacrificed his alchemy to get Al's body back from the Truth, only to be changed into a teenage girl. It hurts me deeply because I've seen how the young man used to look at my granddaughter with his golden eyes expressing something more than puppy love… but to find out that the siblings were kidnapped in order to execute a mad man's wet dream, simply broke my heart.

I am a strong woman by nature and by nurture. I can count the times I've actually come apart at the seams… three to be exact. The first, when I lost my adored son and daughter-in-law, the second, when I lost my good old friend Hoenheim and the third, just now when the doctor said that Ed was carrying Al's baby. Winry let out a loud sob before burying her face in her hands. I stifled a sob myself after watching her grieve. I haven't seen Winry cry so bitterly since the day I had to tell her that her parents were returning home in caskets.

There was a long period of silence as each and everyone gathered in that living room followed in my granddaughter's foot steps and grieved. We all grieved because those depraved men broke the fiery spirit that was Edward. We all grieved because they corrupted the gentle spirit that was Alphonse.

The doctor broke the lingering silence when he began explaining to us the current psychological state of the two tortured siblings. He said that it was just recently —and the reason why the Colonel contacted us— that a major breakthrough had occurred. The siblings have been refusing to talk to anyone other than themselves, selective muteness, was the name of the condition that was brought up by the trauma that Ed and Al had been exposed to. He also explained that the siblings have undergone an intense deprograming after being rescued. It was a treatment he had designed years ago and it was catered to help prisoners of war, political prisoners, rape victims and torture victims in order to help them to cope with their horrific experiences so they could again become a functional part in our society. He sadly explained to us that he hadn't have to use his system since the skirmishes that happened in Liore and Milos of the recent past.

He also warned us not to be alarmed by the extreme closeness the two siblings had developed for each other. He said that he is still working on correcting their distorted view of the sexual conduct between men and women, and between siblings, since this is what was targeted during their intense re-conditioning.

The doctor finished the chat, and waited for me and my granddaughter to digest the given information.

"I want to see them." Winry said almost instantly.

I can see pain in her blue eyes but I can also see strength, Rockbell strength… and I smiled with pride.

"We are prepared to see them doctor and to welcome them back into our small loving family."

I directed my gaze to the Colonel.

"Isn't that why we were called here in the first place?"

The Colonel answered with a small smile.

•

It wasn't easy setting eyes upon Ed and Al. First of all, because they looked completely different to the last memories I had of the two, and second, because no matter how prepared I was to see Ed, when I finally laid eyes on her new female figure —and her humongous belly— I felt something inside of me shatter.

Ed noticed it and looked away in shame. Al noticed it and looked down with guilt.

…and I choked.

Granny squeezed my hand at the right moment and when I met her eyes, I felt reassured. I let go of her wrinkled old hand and took a step forward, then a second, and a third, until I was standing in front of the two. At that point my eyes were too blurry to see them clearly and my throat too thick to speak to them, so I did the next best thing. I opened my arms wide and hugged them… and they hugged me back.

Ed broke the silence when she sobbed loudly, most likely due to the fabled pregnancy hormones going haywire. I immediately followed Ed then I felt Al holding me tighter.

"I'm sorry, Win." He said to my ear with the most sorrowful voice I've ever heard coming out of that beautiful soul.

I separated from the embrace and looked at Al as I held his face in place with a cupped hand.

"Al… there's nothing to apologize for. What happened to you was out of your control. I know the real you… you would never commit something so dastardly on your own accord."

I look at Ed who was biting her lower lip as she looked chagrined.

"Ed… I'm so sorry you had to go through so much hardships—" I had to stop so I could swallow the lump in my throat.

"Winry…"

The way Ed said my name… it sounded like an apology.

"Oh, Ed…" I replied as tears cascaded from my eyes, "I know."

I sniffed loudly and cried bitterly, as I thought of unspoken promises of undeclared love.

After I mentally said my goodbyes to the young man that I had fallen in love with, I lowered my eyes to her burgeoning belly.

"Can I touch?" I asked as I wipe my face with my hand.

Ed nods with tears at the corners of her eyes, and I smile.

I place a warm hand across her swollen abdomen and almost immediately I feel a kick. Ed startles and blushes, and my heart fills with warmth.

"This is great!" I say with sincerity, as I look intensely into her golden eyes, "You know I always wanted to have a sister."

Ed looks at me rather surprised and cries some more.

I grab her hand and I also grab Al's, and I looked at them with complete happiness.

"I'm going to be an aunt!" I say to them as tears of joy now replaced the tears of bitter sorrow.

…and I knew that everything was going to be ok from now on.

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**Thank you for reading.**


	8. Chapter 8

Here's the last chapter to this horror story. When I write hardcore content I like to end the story on a happier note even if it's of the bittersweet kind. The content I used to create the story had been researched before starting to write. The world can be full of horror and despair but it is also filled with hope and redemption. I just hope I managed to capture both with this story.

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**8**

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As I come into view of the peach blossom garden, I see a setting that I've become fondly accustomed to. Alphonse sitting at the far corner of the garden next to the water fountain, with May by her side. She's teaching him —well, yelling at him— about the proper chakra points in the body that help open the paths to the Dragon's Pulse. On the opposite side by the connecting pond, sits Ed, looking out for Hope who just recently started to take her first steps.

I enter the garden, moving my neck from side to side and rolling the tension away from my tired shoulders, when May suddenly screams at Al and clubs him in the head with a paper scroll.

"At this rate you will never learn the proper techniques, Alphonse!"

The petite princess stormed her way past me and back into the house. I hear Al sighing heavily as he stands up and walks over to where Ed is. He sits by her side and gives her a tender peck on the lips then picks Hope up and sits her on his lap. I can't deny that uncomfortable pang my heart gets from time to time when I see them together like that. It still takes a lot from me not to frown at their incestuous relationship but is a sentiment that doesn't linger.

"Hi guys!" I greet as I approach the loving family, because that's what they are, a loving family.

I sit on the ground, crossing my legs to get more comfortable on the stone surface. Hope looks at me with those adorable golden eyes of hers and wiggles away from Al's lap and into mine. I give her a kiss but end up holding her tight since she's now gunning for my green bandana.

"How did the training go today, Winry?" Ed asks while keeping a watchful eye on what Hope is doing.

This past year I've been keeping myself busy with teaching some Xinguese engineers the mechanics of Amestrian automail engineering, it was a request from Emperor Ling himself, one that I wasn't going to turn down, after all, he has granted asylum to the Elric's after hearing what had happened to them from the recently promoted Brigadier General Mustang.

"Well, the automail training went well, but it's just so exhausting to teach. I don't know how much longer I can do this— Ouch!"

Hope managed to grab a fistful of my hair instead of the head band. Ed stands up and takes her back in her arms, but as she does, she presses a gentle kiss on the top of Hope's soft golden hair then hands her to Al. My breath catches for a second, as I process the sublime moment, then my heart elates.

Everyone had been highly concerned that Ed would reject the baby when it was born because of the fact that Ed had been a male for the most part of her life, and more importantly, because the baby was a product of rape and of incest. The doctor treating the siblings feared that if the child resembled Al too much that Ed might regress to her previous state of mind or even become psychotically depressed. He even suggested that the baby should be given to a loving family until Ed was fit to take care of a child, if that ever happened. Of course Granny had a say in it and the doctor backed down. She told the doctor that the baby already had a loving family. She reiterated in her own charming ways that we were going to take care of that child as we have been taking care of Ed and Al.

Ed took Hope to the fountain as was helping her throw a small coin at the lowest bowl.

"She reminds me of mom, you know." Al says while he also watches them play, "It's just so weird seeing Ed like this… I would never thought that she would be so… devoted."

I see that his eyes cloud with deep guilt.

"It's all my fault. I did that to Ed… she cried so much—" He choked on his words and covered his face in shame.

I scoot next to Al to hold him. He turns sideways and places his head on my shoulder and cries. I rock him and hold him tight.

"She forgave me… after I— She held me and told me she loved me."

He sat back and wiped the tears from his eyes and sniffed.

"I love her, Winry. Even under the fog of the drugs that I was subjected to… I just knew I loved her too."

"I know Al." I give him a small smile.

He looks up at the reddish, setting sky.

"Life works in mysterious ways and I'm glad that it does, because it gave us Hope… with Hope, we are complete."

Al walks over to mother and child, who are now swirling the water on the fountain bowl with a small stick, and joined in the fun.

I stayed behind, letting Al's words sink in deep.

The doctor did everything in his power to help the siblings understand that they were confusing compassionate love with consummate love because of the distortion created by the trauma experienced, but now I disagree as a strong memory comes to mind.

On one of those sleepless nights, back when we first arrived to Xing, I accidentally heard Ed and Al in a moment of intimacy. Curiosity got the better of me and a peeked through the open window. The doctor had said that even though the siblings were doing better in most aspects of social life, the two would still act out their respective programs from time to time. If they engaged in intercourse it was because it was ingrained in their programming, but no true love was involved in the carnal act. What I saw that sleepless night was completely opposite of what he said. There was no carnal act, only a holy communion of souls. It was true love what I saw in their faces and in their caresses, as they rocked against each other in the embrace of the night. It was true love what I saw on their satiated faces as they snuggled closely to each other, pledging devotion to each other.

Ed and Al had much more than compassionate love —or even romantic love for that matter— they had the real thing… they had consummate love.

They had consummate love because I know they can't imagine themselves happier with anyone else, because I know they overcame their difficulties —but most importantly— because I know each delight in the relationship with one other.

Hope was laughing, now that Al was making funny faces at her.

Yes, they were complete, and that's the only thing that matters. I know they will thrive in this faraway land, were no harm or judgement or persecution will come their way.

I stand up, wave them goodbye and head to my room. I take seat on my comfortable bed with a notepad and pen in hand. It's time to tell Granny that I'm heading home because it looks like Ed and Al have finally found their Equivalent Exchange.

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**Thank you for reading.**


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